Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Town of Worthington, Massachusetts

Town of Worthington’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New construction, structural alteration, or moving of a building in Worthington town.

  • Building permit issued by the Inspector of Buildings, appointed by the Selectboard.
  • Permit application for exterior alteration or new construction must include a site plan (see permit_process claim).

  “no new construction, structural alternation, or moving of a building shall take place in the town of worthington until a building permit has been issued by the inspector of buildings.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  All land inside Worthington town limits. The whole town is one residential-agricultural zoning district under the town's own Protective Zoning By-Law.

  • Overlay districts (flood plain district, Westfield River protection district, water supply protection district) add further restrictions where they apply.
  • Uses are limited to those allowed in the residential-agricultural district under the bylaw's use, special permit and site plan sections.

  “the entire town of worthington is hereby designated as a residential-agricultural district, with three overlay districts: flood plain district, westfield river protection district, and the water supply protection district.”

• Zoning districtsPartial

  Zoning districts of Worthington town. The bylaw names one base district (residential-agricultural, entire town) and three overlay districts.

  • The zoning map (dated August 5, 2020) is referenced by the bylaw but was not opened, so district boundaries on the map are not verified here.

  “the districts listed in section 3.1, are as shown, defined, and bounded on the map and accompanying this bylaw”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  Principal dwelling lots in Worthington town's residential-agricultural district, the only base district (entire town).

  • A lot or parcel smaller than required may count if it was listed in the tax records, shown on a plan, or described in a deed recorded at the time the bylaw was adopted, and did not adjoin other land of the same owner.
  • Frontage must be measured contiguously along a single street; frontage on more than one street cannot be added together.
  • Common driveways cannot be used to satisfy frontage requirements (flexible development section).

  minimum lot area: >= 2 acres (lots existing at adoption of the bylaw per the tax-record/deed exception) · minimum frontage: >= 400 feet (lots existing at adoption of the bylaw per the tax-record/deed exception)

  “a dwelling, principal building or principal structure hereinafter erected shall be located on a lot having not less than a minimum area of two (2) acres and a minimum frontage of 400 feet measured contiguously along a single street, either public or private, which the lot abuts.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  All buildings, dwellings and structures in Worthington town's residential-agricultural district (entire town).

  • Setback is measured by a line parallel to the street right-of-way; corner lots observe the setback on all bordering streets.
  • Flexible development lots (section 8.4) have no minimum setback unless a boundary abuts a public way or non-development property.

  front setback from street line: >= 40 feet (or in conformity with the existing property) · side yard: >= 35 feet

  “the minimum setback and side yard requirements for all buildings, dwellings and structures shall be forty (40) feet for the minimum setback or in conformity with the existing property, and thirty-five (35) feet for the side yards.”

• Living in an RVLimited

  Travel trailers and RVs used as living quarters on private land in Worthington town.

  • Use allowed on private property with the owner's permission.
  • Trailer must have a current registration.
  • Occupancy exceeding 30 consecutive days requires a temporary housing permit issued by the Board of Health under 105 CMR 410.430.
  • Temporary housing permits require a permanent street address and are valid up to 120 days.

  consecutive days before Board of Health temporary housing permit: > 30 days · temporary housing permit validity: <= 120 days

  “temporary occupancy exceeding thirty (30) consecutive days requires a temporary housing permit issued by the board of health in accordance with 105 cmr 410.430.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Temporary living in travel trailers on private land, and residential construction trailers, in Worthington town.

  • Travel trailer rules as in the rv_occupancy claim (30-day threshold for a Board of Health temporary housing permit).
  • Residential construction trailer: special temporary permit from the building inspector, only for owner-occupants of a one-family dwelling under construction; 180-day permits renewable at the inspector's discretion; no more than 18 months per trailer; must conform to dimensional and Board of Health and conservation rules.

  residential construction trailer permit period: 180 days (renewable at the building inspector's discretion for consecutive periods) · residential construction trailer maximum duration: <= 18 months

  “the permit will be effective for a one hundred and eighty (180) day period, renewable at the discretion of the building inspector for consecutive periods only, but under no circumstances shall permits be issued for any one residential construction trailer to exceed eighteen (18) months.”

• Manufactured homesAllowed (with conditions)

  Manufactured housing on private lots in Worthington town.

  • Must meet the minimum lot setbacks and other single-family dwelling requirements of the district.
  • Must be placed on a permanent foundation.
  • An accessory storage building must be provided unless the unit has an accessible basement for storage.

  “manufactured housing must meet the minimum lot setbacks and other requirements for a single-family dwelling in the district in which it is located. manufactured housing must be placed on a permanent foundation.”

• Permit processPartial

  Building permit application process in Worthington town.

  • Application must be accompanied by two copies of a site plan showing lot boundaries, street location, culverts, building placement and the location of sewerage system and water supply.
  • The process steps, fees and forms were not found on the opened pages.

  “each application for a building permit to alter the outside of an existing structure or to construct a new structure shall be accompanied by two copies of a site plan which clearly shows boundaries of the lot”

Rules another office applies inside Town of Worthington

Town of Worthington does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Who permits septicState (with conditions)

  New and existing on-site septic systems in Massachusetts, including Worthington town, under the state Title 5 code (310 CMR 15.00).

  • Worthington's own board-of-health septic rules, if any, were not located and may be stricter than Title 5.
  • Title 5 requirements for siting, construction, inspection, upgrade and expansion apply statewide.

  “310 cmr 15 state environmental code, title 5: standard requirements for the siting, construction, inspection, upgrade and expansion of on-site sewage treatment and disposal systems”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Town of Worthington or Hampshire County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption for building permits in Worthington town
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for Worthington town
• Inspections — Building inspections in Worthington town
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy in Worthington town
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in Worthington town

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.